forum: Everything else

fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

hi my name is stephanie and i love to cook and create, but my bf is a real fussy eater, like he wont eat pasta or sea food, or any veggies at all and he gets me to cook the same meal over and over and i am sick of it, i have tried everything, but he still doesn't like anything i cook for him , i even went to uni and did a chefing course, still nothing and i even let him come shopping with me,and let him help me cook how can i get him to start eating more wholesome and nutritious foods,and without having the same argument over and over, plz help ( i am actually starting to lose my confidence and passion for cooking) thanks any advice will be greatfull

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

Welcome to the forum Stephanie

My first bit of advice is 'don't worry' !When I met my darling , he ate , meat , potatoes ,gravey , ocadoonally fish ,cake , biscuits , chocolate , bread ( a lot of bread !) , sandwiches ( no salad in them ) cheese , deserts , cornflakes and allbran !He did not see the need for eating anything green ,salad, fruit or other vegetables !!! Now he now eats all vegetables ( not keen on kohl rabi or okra ) any fruit ( but not keen about bananas ) . It's hard to beleive that his diet used to be so bad !

He now happily eats many vegetarian meals without even thinking about the fact there is no meat on the plate . It helps of course that I am vegetarian !This transformation in his diet did not happen over night but was gradual. I did not do anything special , it just gradually happened. I am a great believer in not making a fuss about things of making them into an issue as that seems always to have a negative effect.

As for cooking and loosing confidence , please don't , as I'm sure gradually he will start to eat different things.

What meal is it that you have to keep cooking him ? Are you able to freeze portions of it so that its easier for you to cook something a bit different for yourself everyso often. Does he eat the same thing when he goes out or is he more adventurous ?

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

Can you imagine a lifetime of eating that one meal? If so, carry on. I see women married to fussy men and I really really feel for them. Because for a couple of years they deal with it. But 20yrs later they often fantasize about knocking him out with a frying pan and eating a nice risotto with their new boyfriend. I know this sounds harsh but I would not be willing to be with someone who was that weird about food. But then again I broke up with a guy simply because he was vegan

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

Firstly it is not your job or responsibility to make your BF eat better. I can understand being concerned but once you have made that point to him, it is 100% his responsibility.

My second thought is that you should not be held hostage to his likes. Let him know in advance when you are going to cook a meal that you like , giving him an option to prepare something else for himself. If he gives you grief, simply state that you have as much right to meals you like as he does to meals he likes. What I would be shooting for is a mutual respect for each others likes, not a confrontational argument every time you want to eat something different.

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

If he likes cheese and pastry, you might try 'Madamada's' idea of encasing vegetables and cheese in phyllo dough - it's wonderful. When I first cooked for myself, I wanted to learn to like more foods, so I started by making things like broccoli with cheese sauce. It's not that I didn't like vegetables before so much as that I didn't like the frozen vegs my mother cremated for an hour in boiling water until they turned grey. Also, if bitter flavors are an issue, many vegetables are quite mild in their raw state, so a crudite offering with a dip your bf likes might be a good way to introduce new foods. Of course, for me that was the way I wanted my food as a kid, uncooked and simple because I feared what the cook might do to it. If some of his attitude is similar from past bad experiences with food, it may help him to taste foods in a good restaurant to encourage him to start trusting the cook to make a good dish.

How can someone not like pasta? That's a strange dislike! Oh well, there are so many good foods to choose from, it really is ok in my book to have some dislikes. Often, people who won't eat seafood have a pretty strong aversion, so you might want to leave that issue alone. A person can do just fine eating other protein choices and you will save money by making only one portion of lobster for yourself!

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

Maree, I use quinoa pasta and when I make fresh pasta, it is full of egg yolks and has some whole grains, although truly, it really never mattered when I ate wheat pasta. I burned so many calories being very active and doing a lot of physical exercise, it was hard to keep enough weight on, although after over-indulging through a very long period of recovering from an injury when I couldn't be active, I need to lose some weight now. It can happen very fast for me though and I truly do not have to restrict my diet so much as others. I actually feel my body needs the carbs on a regular basis.

Re: fussy boyfriend who is a pastry chef, who is really fussy HELP

I avoid wheat pasta (for myself) and have yet to find a decent recipe for gluten-free pasta. As a result, pasta has slipped off my radar. I guess if it was important enough to me, I'd find the time to experiment more with different recipes for the gluten free pasta. I get by on rice and some occasional sourdough (when I've got someone to share the bread with me ... else I'd be the size of a house ).

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